A Culture for Democracy

Mass Communication and the Cultivated Mind in Britain between the Wars

D. L. LeMahieu

This book takes a close look at the often antagonistic relationship between commercial and elite culture in early 20th-century Britain. LeMahieu traces the rise of commercial culture, where success was measured by popularity rather than aesthetic merit, explores the responses of the cultivated elites, and charts the gradual emergence of a common culture during the interwar period.

A Culture for Democracy

Mass Communication and the Cultivated Mind in Britain between the Wars

D. L. LeMahieu

Description

The development of popular national daily newspapers, the cinema, the radio, the gramophone, and other forms of mass entertainment in early 20th-century Britain threatened to upset traditional patterns of British culture and engendered a determined opposition among writers, artists, intellectuals, and others. This book explores the often antagonistic relationship between commercial and élite culture during this period. LeMahieu traces the rise of commercial culture, where success was measured by popularity rather than aesthetic merit, explores the responses of the cultivated elites, and charts the gradual emergence of a common culture during the interwar period.

"Fascinating...Incisive and richly nuanced study. LeMahieu deftly probes a multiplicity of topics without ever appearing either superficial or discursive. His notes and bibliography are a testament to scholarship of the highest order and illuminate the field for other historians...Exemplary."--Albion

"Erudite, important, and full of delights...In its richness and detail, grand yet coherent structure, and persuasive analysis, A Culture for Democracy might be emulated by historians working in a number of fields. Its integration of technological, economic, and sociological material with more familiar themes of cultural history breaks new ground in our understanding of how ideas and images become shared throughout society."--John Ben Snow Prize Honorable Mention 1988 Citation of the North American Conference on British Studies